Premium
Rapid subglacial erosion beneath Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica
Author(s) -
Smith A. M.,
Bentley C. R.,
Bingham R. G.,
Jordan T. A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2012gl051651
Subject(s) - geology , glacier , elevation (ballistics) , erosion , ice stream , ice sheet , glacier morphology , geomorphology , antarctic ice sheet , period (music) , physical geography , oceanography , cryosphere , sea ice , geography , physics , geometry , mathematics , acoustics
We present measurements of ice thickness, gravimetry and surface elevation on Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, separated by a period of 49 years. At one station, on the main trunk of the glacier we measured a surface elevation lowering with no significant change in ice thickness. We interpret these as indicating subglacial erosion of 31.8 ± 13.4 m at this location, at a mean rate over the measurement period of 0.6 ± 0.3 m a −1 , and suggest that a current erosion rate of ∼1 m a −1 is possible. Our results emphasize that locally, basal processes can have a significant effect on ice sheet changes, particularly where fast‐flowing ice has an easily erodible bed.